So far, so good for Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson and his size-14 foot

Sep 09, 2018 | by Bob Sansevere, TwinCities.com

Possibly the biggest ever for an NFL placekicker, according to Carlson.

“I would put a lot of money on it that I have the biggest foot in the league. Maybe ever. That’s very possible,” said Carlson, the Vikings’ rookie kicker who goes 6-foot-5 and used that size 14 foot to make his lone field goal attempt of 48 yards, convert all three point-after tries and boom every kickoff out of the end zone for touchbacks in Sunday’s 24-16 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

“We were looking for touchbacks, and obviously I made all my kicks, so that’s what I’m shooting for,” said Carlson, who beat out veteran Kai Forbath in the preseason.

Asked if he could get touchbacks in any stadium and any weather conditions, Carlson said, “If I hit a clean ball, I would expect that (a touchback). It just depends on the game. With some teams, we many want to hang it up there, depending on what their return team looks like and how aggressive we want to be with our cover team. Sometimes, we want to take the ball on the 25 and let our defense do the work.”

The Vikings’ defense did its job Sunday, allowing just one touchdown and three field goals and handing Jimmy Garoppolo his first loss as a starting quarterback after seven wins.

Carlson did his job as well. A lot is expected from him. A fifth-round pick out of Auburn, the Vikings want those booming kickoffs as well as a high percentage of field goals and extra points to be made.

He was perfect on his first real game as a pro.

“Obviously, there’s a little bit of nerves before the game. Good nerves going out there. I was nice, calm and collected,” Carlson said. “Definitely good to have that first one under your belt. Loud stadium and stuff and the pressure of a game. It’s good to knock that one out.”

He also knows he can trust his new holder, punter Mike Wile, who was added to the roster within the past week.

“He did a great job. We worked together three days. He did a great job with the spin, the lean, the tilt, everything that goes with holding,” Carlson said. “He did a great job adjusting to me. I’m a lot taller and I have a lot bigger foot.”

A size-14 foot will cause some adjustments.

“I get more lean on my ball so that’s something we work on,” Carlson said. “The ball leans more toward him to eliminate the fade to the left.”